Who Cares About A Servant Girl?
by juliarox101
Summary: Sent by her aunt to be a servant in Forget-Me-Not Valley to improve "her cold, unseemly temper". Exploring her new life in the valley, this is rated K plus for language and mild suggestive content. Romance implied, but not a major part of the story.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One: Forget-me-not About This Place

Chapter One: Forget-me-not About This Place

I stared for a moment, sighing at the waterfall as I crossed the bridge. _This'll be so weird. I can't believe Aunt Rose. I do not need some adjusting, period…_I thought rather bitterly.

It wasn't quite the day to think such thoughts. It was a perfect day in the country, really. The strange, seemingly empty farm behind her had rich plants growing proudly up from the thick, moist soil, and the water made gentle ripples quietly. As far as the weather went, droplets of a previous shower delicately laced the grass. She heard some humming in the distance. Yes, you could say Forget-me-not Valley was in beautiful shape.

That didn't change my mind.

I tied back my frizzy locks to keep the firm, breezy wind from messing it up any farther. I spotted another farm close ahead, though it was a rather blocked by a kind of path. _Gosh, people here sure love the country ways. How come there's some random mansion, then? _

I made an odd face at the thought and passed a building, which clearly stood out in it's color, a deep red. I admitted she liked it quite a bit…._what's it use, I wonder_? Suddenly a redhead boy ran around me, losing my balance. I mentally cursed.

"Hi lady! I'm Hugh." He said, sweat dripping down his red, freckled face. "I really like running, don't you?" He coughed and his skin turned even darker.

I recovered from the bit of shock that had hit her. Thinking about it, I didn't care much for running, to tell the truth. "I'm Anastasia, not "lady".Um, kind of. You know where the mansion is?"

"I have to go, because Kate's chasing after me. She's slow!" He stuck his tounge out from behind. "But it's on a hill, the other side of the valley. You know what a valley is?"

I nodded at the energetic little kid and trudged on. Who was this Kate? Probably his mother. She followed Hugh's intructions and walked glumly on. I thought about this new place I'd be staying. It'd be fancy, I thought. Overlly fancy. I wouldn't fit in. But do maids really need to fit in?

Passing through the unbelievably small village, and looking back, I noticed a long-nosed hippie dude with a guitar, a beautiful green-eyed blonde, an derpressed old man, and a dark-haired farmer-ish guy. They all noticed my appearance some way or another. For example, though the blond seemed to pay a lot of attention to the farmer, she smiled and said her name was Muffy. She seemed rather flirty. I made a mental note to stay away from her.

I couldn't quite remember the hippe guy's name at the time, but I'll always remember my shock as he greeted. "Peace, dude. It's groovy today, don't you think?" That almost made me laugh, a bit rude or not.

The old man just grumbled, and the farmer said briefly his name was Jack and he ran the farm, but not the one near the dig site. Having no knowledge of the digsite, this wasn't helpful. I said my name was Anastasia to all and realized this would be an interesting experience here.


	2. Chapter 2

(keep in mind there will be NO Witch Princess

(keep in mind there will be NO Witch Princess. This story is based of AWL.)

Chapter Two: My New Home

I could not believe how huge the place looked compared to the other buildings. It was fancy, certainly, with fine stone and what seemed quite a few rooms. It was quite fancy, but not to the point of being ridiculous. A few flowers bloomed neatly in a pot to my side.

A wind blew my hair quite out of control, and I grumbled. It was beautiful still, but getting windy and cold. For this reason, it didn't take, long, though, for me to at least semi-fix it, and I opened the door slowly.

A burst of slow, soothing music interrupted me a bit-for the second time in, what, five minutes? A young girl sat at the piano, rather pretty, cute clothes. She bit her little rosebud lips and repeated the piece from the start. She seemed rather impatient for _something_.

"Oh, hi," she stumbled. "Who are _you_?"

"George Washington," I mumbled, half-silent. Sarcasm was one of the reasons I was here, but it was kind of hard to exist sometimes,

"What?"

"I'm kidding. I'm Anastasia and I'll be staying," I looked at what I had written messily on my hand, "On the second floor. Rosaline sent me."

"Oh, hi," the girl repeated, tapping her fingers again on the ivory-colored keys, "I'm Lumina. You're a maid, right?" She petted a small yellow cat, who laying on a silky pillow.

"Yes…"

Before Lumina could reply, though her mouth was wide open, an old, rather withered woman stepped in. She smiled graciously, looking at Lumina sternly.

"You've said hello, right? Good." Her face softened. "Anastasia? Oh, dear, hello. Don't worry, house work will be a breeze."

"Um, yeah." In this big a place?

She didn't hear. Yet another person, this time an elderly man, stepped down. He bowed and smiled, fixing his velvet bowtie

"Good day, Miss, I'm Sebastian, the butler. I shall enjoy your acquaintance." He said graciously.

"Yeah, hi," I said. Everyone seemed so polite. It bored me.

I was showed by way to my modest room, next to Lumina's, which was rather, I saw, big. I unpacked my things and collapsed on my bed soon after. Who cared about the chores? My thoughts spun around me, buzzing endlessly. People were normal, people were rude. They were normal, they were quirky. The town was boring, the town was crazy. I should make friends, I shouldn't.

My dreams that night were the most confusing I'd ever had.


	3. Chapter 3

It was dead silent when I woke up at five

Author's Note: Sorry updating took next to forever.

It was dead silent when I woke up at five. No one scurried in the hall, no cats argued, all was peaceful. I wasn't needed to work 'til 10, so I might as well spend my five hours doing something other than sitting around bored.

I undressed and dressed quickly-it was freezing out-and tip-toed out to the town. I noticed a redheaded girl near the mansion, deep in thought and kicking a ball of moss. She walked closer to the villa, and, without much thought, bumped into me.

"Hey!" I cried, stumbling to the ground.

"Um, you alright?" the girl asked, wiping herself off.

"I guess. Why in the world are you up so early…" I stopped myself, not knowing her name.

She sensed this, and continued. "I'm, er, Nami. I have a random life, you could say." She said, not coldly but not really happy-go-lucky.

"I'm Anastasia," I said, turning around. Nami shrugged and rested her back by a hill.

The town was small, just as I remember it, but it wasn't quite so when I started looking around. I noted a fireworks place, an iron sculpture near a beat-up trailer, and a yurt. Woah, these were some interesting people.

I walked on, glancing generally peacefully all around myself. Chickens clucked, but I wasn't bothered. Aunt Rose adored chickens.

I was about to cross the bridge when the clucking got louder-and human voices joined in, and a fluff of feathers ran towards me. They had escaped, that was plain to see.

"Um…sorry. I truly am!" cried a violet-eyed, black-haired girl. "The chickens, they're dumb."

Jack sighed. "I'm afraid my niece Susan is a bit…well, rambunctious sometimes." The girl shot a glance. "She thought chickens would be wonderful models for tiny hats they made."

"I'm twelve, and you're making me sound like a baby, Jack! I just thought chickens would be so cute-you know, like the puppies you see in the city. But they ran out when you opened the door."

I smiled. I had been like her when I was younger, at least somewhat. I had been a troublemaker, but I guess my reasoning would be different…but the reminder of myself made me slightly less pessimistic about my situation.

Suddenly Lumina scurried quickly but politely to me, "Oh, Annie! Gr-Aunt Romana was so worried! Where were you?"

"Somewhere. Seriously, though, I was wandering…taking a look around, you know. And it's Anastasia."

"Well, I truly don't think you should have gone." She stood straighter. "It's kind of strange out here when you first meet here."

"The people here aren't strange, if you're staying that." Jack raised his eyebrows.

"Oh, no." Lumina blushed, acting a bit less bold. "It's just…odd being in new places sometimes,"

_I can say that. _Aunt Rose was my longest residence, but not my first. I had gone relative to relative since my mom died and the orphanage closed down.

Jacks eyebrows shot back down in understanding. "I see, Lumina. I do understand. And many of the Valley's residents could say the same. Only Rock, Sebastian, Romana, Vesta, and Galen were born here from what I know."

"Rock has mental problems," declared Susan.

Lumina almost smirked, as if agreeing, but pulled me by the arm back to town. "Ah…erm…uh…" she started in a soft tone I hadn't heard from her, "Aunt Romana shall be so mad, you know. Don't wander, be ladylike, you'll be ok. Auntie Romana isn't mean, you know, but traditional. Keep that in mind.

I reluctantly noted that. I more or less used it.


	4. Chapter 4

Author's Note: I'm trying to show a different side of Anastasia in this chapter. Do you like it? Cheesy? R&R!

"Erm, I'm Marlin…" the black haired man, no more than twenty five or so, said shyly as I finished my brief introduction.

"And I'm Celia," a gray-eyed girl curtsied.

"Vesta." The orange haired woman said.

"So is Vesta's Farm, Anastasia. Oh, I do wish you would make friends with Jack as well, the other farmer around here." Romana continued on with the tour she was giving. Lumina glanced shyly at her grandmother.

"Jack is so nice. He gave me _five_ radishes, from his first harvest, back when he was not so successful." Celia said kindly.

Vesta nudged Marlin, who admitted, "Oh, he is hardworking. Not selfish or anything."

"I haven't met him." I quietly said in a sarcastic-but-trying-to-be-nice kind of tone.

Romana continued her tour of Forget Valley, showing the dig-site, bar, and a bigger view of Jack's farm. Finally, she decided her legs were much too tired, and I started my chores back at the house.

I hated it. Lumina was as unpleasant as ever, or at least seemed so, as she tapped the keys musically, high and mighty as I was on the floor scrubbing.

And I had to cook supper, by myself. Lumina had to practice for her upcoming concert, and I learned Sebastian was only talented at breakfast and lunch. I groaned. I knew for a fact my own cooking was not pleasing.

The kitchen was small, but worked well. I decided on boiled potatoes and tomato soup. Sebastian, while not cooking, obediently supplied the ingredidents. Thank goodness for that. Their pantry was fit for someone of diverse taste and much wealth-I saw everything from pot stickers to tacos to hotdogs. Sebastian, though, worked quickly, and I soon began.

It was in times like these I found myself feeling creative. I threw the potatoes in a pot and threw some spices in. I hoped they worked well. I was not in the mood to work from scratch, so I threw the canned soup in another pot. On went some greens. And bread…oh, yes. I found some dough in the ice box (yes, they still seemed to use it), and threw in the stove, throwing some spray butter on beforehand to see how it would turn out.

Forty five minutes later, everything was done, and I served it.

Romana ate slowly, but smiled. "Oh, the spices taste a bit out of place, it seemed at first, but you did a wonderful job looking at it now that I'm finished.

Sebastian chuckled. "Oh, miss. It's good food."

Lumina lost of critical attitude, and laughed. "My old nursemaid used to make the soup the same way, Anastasia!"

For once I was more than a servant girl.

Romana gave me a diary that night. It was an old leather one, brown and worn and written in. Yet what pleased me the most it that it had been her own.

"Child," she said, "I know you do feel out of place, and you are rude sometimes-I've heard stories. Yet you do seem nice, and let me give you this. I shall give this to Lumina eventually, but she's not quite as old as you-she's fourteen, you're seventeen, the same age I was at the start of the diary. So keep good care."

I read some of the entries

Spring 8th

_Mama gave me a puppy. Oh, she is a dear. All white, with big brown eyes and curly fur. I was happy, oh yes. I curtsied. And it shall make me__** even **__happier. Shall I explain?_

_Sebastian, the servant the same age I am, came with an invitation. I read it slowly. And Isabella, the most beautiful and polite girl in the valley, is inviting me to a ball. I do hope her brother shall be there-or perhaps not, as I find my stomach quite fluttery when I see him. And Cousin Anastasia_

Anastasia? Oh, it wasn't me. It wasn't an uncommon name.

_,the fool, said she will be invited, too. That will only add to my upset stomach, I admit. She is such a tomboy, and oh so sarcastic. Still, if it ruins my stomach, she shall not ruin my happiness. _

Spring 11th

_I was dressed in the prettiest gown I had ever seen. Miles and miles of silk trailed behind me, it seemed, and my puffy sleeves looked just-so, very elegant. It was a lavender color, beautiful as the sunset. My necklace was amazing. It was made of rubies and sapphires and pearls._

_And oh, he was there! Edward was dressed just as elegantly, and we danced! Oh, you do know how that felt, Diary? Wonderful._

_But, Anastasia. Her dress was simply normal, a plain velvet, and she didn't even wear her hair up. Yes, it was stick straight, down to her knees, and uncombed. All my friends gossiped. And she mainly talked to the boys about sports and such. She managed to talk to Edward without blushing. And I am writing this in invisible ink-she drunk wine!_

_Still, I'll never forget the evening._

The fact that Anastasia suddenly turned out to be my relative after hundreds of years sounded so…cliché. Still, it was not half-bad to imagine. But what struck me most was the joyfulness of Romana, chasing after Edward and gossiping about her cousin. She didn't seem so old anymore. While I certainly was still upset about my situations, this was the past. Perhaps once, long ago, this was a more cheerful place. I hoped so.


	5. Chapter 5

Sorry it's been awhile and the chapter is short

Sorry it's been awhile and the chapter is short. My life is chaotic!

I struggled to learn how to clean and wash. We had always had servants at my old house, so I was rather ill-prepared. Oh, I helped make cakes and pretended to clean as a girl, but it wasn't the same.

Sebastian helped, thankfully. I was starting to like him. He was polite, that was sure, and was hurt easily, but he seemed jolly once I knew him better. He was a better companion than Lumina, at least. She was so spoiled but demure, and it irritated me. And yet at the same time she complained of stupid "high-standards".

Once I finished my daily chores, I took a look in Romana's diary-she was proving to have another side compared to the fluffy romance of her first entries-and took walks around town. I never really did have much of a point to my trips, but I seemed to enjoy them. And enjoyment was always a good thing when you were suddenly transported to another home.

For extra money, I helped Vesta at her farm. There wasn't much to buy in the valley, but sometimes Van a book or two that I found interesting. In any case, Marlin, Celia, and I harvested, watered, and planted the countless rows of plants.

Celia was a down-to-earth and shy girl, often timidly showing me farming tips. She didn't seem much more than "nice", in all honesty, but I liked her help.

Marlin was another case. He was cold and never talkative. He stood there doing his work faithfully, and never said much but a "hi" or "water some more, Anastasia". Not to mention he looked like Elvis. But Marlin was protective of Celia, and greatly interested in farming, sometimes to an obsessive point.

He wasn't the only anti-social person in town. Nami and Cody seemed to never be the bubbly types. They slowly became a bit of friends. Maybe it's because they related, maybe because they were lonely, maybe it was an act. Still, it kept me somewhat entertained.

When I finished the walks up, I went back on a dull, repetitive schedule. Wash face, cook dinner, eat dinner, study, bath, sleep. Same every day, never changing. I never seemed to get used to it, the constant properness of life. I wondered if I was a servant or guest.

Still, memories of the rest of town persisted to keep me at least somewhat comfortable.


End file.
